The present invention relates to a process and to an apparatus for combining in each case at least two flexible, sheet-like articles and jointly transporting them further.
In printing plants, in particular the dispatch rooms thereof and in factories which process printed products, the printed products often arrive in a state in which they are retained individually by transporting clamps of a conveyor. This method of transportation, in particular in the case of large processing capacities, involves high conveying speeds, which may be disadvantageous for the printed products themselves, but also for the smoothness and service life of the conveying equipment.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a process in the case of which, and to provide an apparatus by means of which, individually transported flexible sheet-like articles can easily be combined in order for in each case two or more articles to be jointly transported further.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a process and apparatus wherein a delivery conveyor is provided for successively conveying a plurality of the articles in a conveying direction along a conveying path which contains a curve, with the articles being individually retained at a first radially outer edge. Upon reaching the region of the curve, the articles being conveyed are sequentially gripped together in groups of at least two articles by means of a gripper which grips a second radially inner edge of the articles. Then, the gripped articles are released by the transporting clamps of the delivery conveyor, so that the articles maybe jointly transported further.
The grippers may be mounted on a gripper wheel or an endless conveyor wherein a plurality of the grippers are moved along a circulatory path located generally inside the curve of the conveying path. The two articles retained by each gripper may be transferred to transporting grippers of a removal conveyor for being transported further, or where the grippers are mounted on an endless conveyor the articles may be transported away by the endless conveyor. Still further, the joined articles may be transferred back to alternate clamps of the delivery conveyor.
The process according to the invention and the apparatus according to the invention allow in each case at least two flexible sheet-like articles to be combined during transportation without the articles having to be stopped or stacked. While maintaining careful handling of the articles, this allows large processing capacities along with a smooth operation of the corresponding apparatus.